Don't Forget Me
by tineyninja
Summary: Just when things seem to be going great for Gai, having finally confessed his feelings for the man he loves, it all goes black. Literally. On a mission away from Konoha Gai falls into a coma. When he wakes nothing is the same...
1. Chapter 1

**SPOILER: **Post cannon- if you have not reached the ten tail / juubi arc, do not read paragraph number 7! Also if you haven't read the war arc or Kakashi Gaiden this may have some surprises!

**AN:** Don't worry I will be finishing my other story _Ramen Soup for the Soul. _I just had this idea and had a strong urge to write the first chapter. This is a bit different and is from Gai's POV rather than Kakashi's. Warning, Angst ahead!

Just so you know the story will weave in and out of flashbacks...

Chapter 1

The gates were open. He had pushed himself to the seventh. He didn't want to have to resort to that again. But he had to. If he survived this he knew Kakashi would kill him. He smiled. The thought of returning home to his rival only made him more determined.

He had them cornered. They couldn't run any further. He had all of them trapped before him, all four of- wait! Hadn't there been six?

That was when Maito Gai felt an unimaginable amount of pain and everything went black.

He dreamt sometimes. Of his life, of Konoha, his team, his friends. Kakashi. The silver ninja never escaped his thoughts. Sometimes, as he drifted between drams and nothingness, he thought he could hear voices. They seemed hazy, far away. Nowhere close enough for him to reach. He wondered if one of them was Kakashi's. Or was he being too hopeful?

Occasionally the voices were clear. People were talking about him. People he didn't know. They discussed _him_. They asked if he would ever wake up. They spoke of him as a hero. Gai wanted more than anything to be able to scream "Yes, I am awake! I am here! Do not leave me; do not forget me!" If he could have shed a tear for himself, for his lonely state, he would have.

He could feel them too. They wiped his brow, tucked him in. He thought he could feel tubes being forced into his body. Injections. But he couldn't react. He couldn't move.

He slipped in and out of fantasies. He saw his father, his old sensei. Neji trained with him. And there was Kakashi. There was always Kakashi. Though Gai didn't have a concept of time as he lay there, useless and tired, he often thought of the copy ninja.

Gai resented so much his current predicament; everything had been going _so damn well_ back in Konoha. He had finally admitted his feelings to Kakashi. They had finally kissed. Gai didn't know what that had meant yet as he had been called away on the mission. The mission that landed him in his current state. But he sure as hell wanted to find out.

Gai had loved Kakashi all his life, but he had always been unreachable. Or so it had seemed. He needed to snap out of this, this- whatever it was. He had to get back to Kakashi. They had to give it a shot.

And then there were his team mates. What had become of them? He hoped they were OK. Maybe they were the ones who prodded and poked him, who were looking after him. He had been leading a team of young chunin, showing them the ropes. What a fine example he had set in getting your ass kicked.

Just as he thought it, his mind seemed to fade again into the numbness.

"_Rival. Rival!" Gai called, chasing the teenage shinobi. "Wait up!"_

_The seventeen year old Kakashi was leaping ahead. Gai, only a year older, could barely keep up with the silver flash of jonin. He followed the trailed of Kakashi's laughter. It was such a rare pleasure to hear, and Gai was certain he was the only one who could bring it out of him. He heartfelt heavy with pride at the thought of it, as if it were one of their challenges._

_Kakashi landed on the floor as they reached the rolling hills and plain. Gai leapt from the tree and landed straight on his rival, knocking him to the floor and they rolled down the hill in each other's arms. Kakashi blushed, but didn't acknowledge the intimate position, he was laughing too much. For once he was enjoying himself, forgetting about the pain, about Obito, about Rin, about Minato..._

_They came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Kakashi was smiling beneath his mask, Gai could tell. He was on top of the younger teen, watching him contentedly. He longed to just reach out, pull that damn mask away. He had never seen Kakashi's face. He imagined it was beautiful, like everything else about the boy._

_A stern cough snapped him out of his happy thought._

"_Tenzo!" Kakashi yelped happily. _

"_Senpai!" Yamato beamed._

"_Yamato-kun..." Gai said, nodding at the fourteen year old pest._

"_Gai-san."_

_They glared at each other for a second. If Kakashi noticed he pretended not to. He rose and patted his younger friend on the back. _

"_Well, it was nice seeing you, young one!" Gai began, enthusiasm returning. Yamato winced at the reminder of his age. Kakashi was too old for that little twerp. "But Kakashi and I have to train now-"_

"_Kakashi-senpai, please allow me to join!"_

"_Sure."_

_Gai blustered. He realised what he was doing then stood tall and pulled out an air of cool. "Ah if only that were possible. Unfortunately the training is much too intense for one so you-"_

"_I'm in Anbu. I'm probably stronger than you."_

"_What!? Is that a challenge?" Gai squared up to the smaller teen._

"_Maybe it is."_

"_Ha! Bring it on! You may be younger than me, but you will never be more youthful!"_

"_That doesn't even make sense!"_

"_Oh perfect," Kakashi said lightly, pulling Icha Icha from his pocket. "This is great; I am pretty tired anyway, so you two can train and I will head home and read."_

"_Wait No Kakashi!"_

"_Kakashi-senpai!"_

_But the silver teenager was already walking away._

"Oh my gosh. He moved!"

"What? Where?"

"There! His hand!"

"I wonder what this means..."

"Shit! He just did it again! Did you see it?"

"Yes!"

The darkness was finally fading. Gai was starting to feel some strength. He could- shit he could _see_!

He opened his eyes, then immediately shut them again. The light hurt.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Wh- Where am..."

Gai's voice was hoarse, he hadn't used it for a while. How long had it been? A day? A few days? It seemed like a it could be a few weeks.

"It's OK. You are safe. You are in the small village of Heiwa. We have been looking after you."

Gai's memory of the battle was a little hazy, but he remembers stumbling into this village just before encountering the enemy. There had been a woman. He had saved her, brought her home. It wasn't a part of the mission, just Gai playing the hero and being a gentleman. So that was why they had looked after him. They were returning the favour.

Gai attempted the nice guy pose, though he was still weak. His thumbs up and smile didn't have the usual vigour, but he still felt dizzy and disorientated.

"Many thanks fair citizens, for your service to Konoha's green beast. I am in your debt."

"Think nothing of it. You saved my daughter." An old man with kindly eyes said. "We are just happy you made it. You had us really worried there. We feared you may never wake."

Gai boomed a laugh. "Then you do not know the green beast! I always pull through!" He gave a shiny glint of teeth.

"Would you like something to eat?" The young woman asked. She was very pretty, with wavy brown locks.

"Ah- if that's OK? I need to recover my strength. The village is probably worried about me!"

An uneasy look passed between the father and daughter.

"Umm, about that. How do I say this? They may will probably in for a surprise. You see, we didn't know what village you were from, your hatai-ate was lost. They don't know your here, and we couldn't tell them..."

"But what about my team? Didn't they come for me?"

"Well... I think they all... are gone."

"Gone?"

"You were all stripped and thrown in the sea. You were the only survivor."

Gai put his head in his hands. "No!"

"I'm sorry. We pulled you out and we could see you were alive. So we took you home with us and tried to heal you. You had been knocked unconscious during the fight we think, then thrown to the sea. They must have thought they had killed you. But thank goodness they were wrong."

Gai took a few calming breaths. Him, the only one. Those poor, poor chunin. They had been so youthful, so determined. And now they were gone...

But the old man was right. He was still here. He could return to Konoha, to his friends. To Kakashi.

"Right. In that case my village will be especially worried. How long have I been out of it?"

Again that look passed between the two.

What now?

"Well... it has been... over a year."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Hello! Thanks for the first comments and favourites Here is the second chapter, hope you like it. And for those who mentioned it, don't worry I won't be forgetting my other fanfic, Ramen Soup for the Soul. I will be updating that one this week weekend.

In this chapter I will again be writing flashbacks, mixed amongst the current situation. All time skips and segments will be separated clearly though, so it shouldn't be confusing (hopefully!) Enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

"_Hey."_

_No answer._

"_Hey rival."_

_The silver boy haired boy wouldn't meet his eyes. He kept his eyes to the sky, bathed in the silvery glow of the moon. He looked almost angelic, his skin luminescent._

"_Kakashi... why are you crying?"_

_The boy's eyes finally stirred, locking onto his own._

"_I never cry."_

_And with that he was gone, running off into the shadows of the night._

"_Kakashi wait! Rival, come back, I'm sorry!" Gai started to run, until he felt the firm grip on a man holding him back._

"_Leave him be, Gai." The blond haired, blue eyed man said his voice calm. "You won't get anything out of him tonight. Kakashi needs to deal with in his own way."_

"_But Minato-sensei, why is Kakashi crying? Why won't he talk to me about it? That's what rivals are for!"_

_Minato's smile was genuine and warm. He chuckled. "Yes, you are right, little beast. But Kakashi is in a place none of us can reach. We just need to let him grieve."_

"_Grieve for who?"_

"_His father."_

"A year? A whole year? This can't be happening. Am I still in the asleep?"

"Look, I know it is a shock ninja-san, but please calm down!"

"You said over a year. Just how long is that?"

The old man sighed. His daughter timidly piped up. "A year and four months."

"No..." Gai leaned with his head in his hands. This couldn't be happening. How did this happen. Surely the village wouldn't just assume he was dead. Surely they would come looking for him. The Hokage would have sent someone, surely, not just given up?

He felt the other two exchange a nervous look. Then the girl went bustling round a kitchen, and brought back a bowl of miso soup and some vegetable gyoza. Gai felt sick, he didn't even look up at the food.

"Please... you need to eat. How will you ever return if you don't gather your strength?" The girl was sweet, kind, he was glad he had saved her before. She had been attacked and would have been raped. Gai had taken out her pursuers and escorted her home.

She held the food out to him, her tanned hands rough from working in the fields. She was strong but still very feminine, very curvy. Her eyes were kind and he had liked her immediately. He felt dizzy from all that had happened, all the emotion he had felt after so long of nothingness. She was right. He nodded and took the bowl gratefully.

"Thank you...?"

"Kairi." She smiled. "And this is my father, Shigeru."

The old man bowed. "Ninja-san-"

"Gai," he smiled also feeling affection for the old father.

"Yes, Gai-san. Thank you for saving my daughter. I know you must be desperate to return home, but I want you to know, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"Yes, you should rest a bit more with us before setting off," Kairi added with a mother's fussiness.

Their kindness brought tears to Gai's eyes. Without warning he pulled them into a bone crushing hug.

"You are so good to me! But it is I who should be thanking you! You have saved one of the leaf's best." Here he let them go and allowed them to breathe again.

"So you'll stay?" The old man asked.

"Hmm," Gai scratched his chin, caterpillar brows furrowed. On the one hand he wanted to return to Konoha straight away. But he was weak from the coma, and it would be a long lonely trip back. He had always been the type to rush into things without really thinking it through; but maybe that was how he had gotten into this mess in the first place, by charging into battle.

"OK, for a couple of days. Then I really have to get back."

They both smiled at home, and pushed his food to him once again, happy to finally see him eating himself after all this time.

_It was three months after the Kyuubi attack and Gai had had a lot of trouble getting to see Kakashi. It had been the same with his father, Obito, Rin... and now Minato-sensei. Kakashi always withdraw into his pain, not allowing anyone to reach him, not even Gai._

_This time Gai managed to track the teen down to a seedy bar. He was drinking sake at the bar through his mask, his eyes red but his expression blank, unfeeling._

_Gai sank into the seat next to his friend... his love. For even though he had known of his feelings. And he had never felt so strongly about another person. Never._

"_I'd challenge you to a drinking competition, but it looks look you've already won," he began, watching the jonin. Kakashi was in Anbu now, and when he wasn't skulking in the shadows or mourning at the graveyard, he was burying himself in missions- the most deadly ones available. It was like he wanted to die. Kakashi had never been so reckless before._

"_Very funny," Kakashi said, taking another sip. They sat in silence for a while. To others, this didn't seem to say much about their friendship, but Gai knew for Kakashi to be able to sit with in comfortable silence meant he was comfortable with him and trusted him. And Kakashi trusted fewer and fewer people these days. _

"_So," Gai continued, doing a nice Gai pose. "Eating contest?"_

"_Huh, trying to sober me up then? I can see right through you, rival."_

_Despite himself, Kakashi smiled. The truth was, Kakashi looked like he wasn't eating either. Gai had to take care of him somehow even if he had to resort to unconventional methods._

"_Well if your too afraid..."_

_The silver haired ninja put his hand on his. "Thank you, Gai. For being here. My friends seem to be getting fewer and fewer. But I still have you..."_

_Gai's eyes watered. He pulled Kakashi into a hug._

"_OK Gai, let's go. That food won't eat itself."_

_But Gai wouldn't let go just yet. He was willing the other man to feel his love. He wanted Kakashi to know that he could always depend on him._

"_Well, isn't this cosy?"_

_Oh great. Gai knew that voice. _

"_Tenzo," Kakashi said in greeting. "What's up?"_

"_Oh I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" His smirk at Gai seemed to acknowledge that he was. "It's just that, there is a new mission available from the base, and I suggested to the Hokage that you would be interested Kakashi-senpai."_

_Kakashi hesitate, glancing at Gai guiltily. _

"_Do you mind?"_

_Yes, he bloody did mind! But he wasn't about to say that to Kakashi, in the state he had been in recently. And he didn't want Yamato to see how much it hurt him, Kakashi being taken away like that when he had just been excited about their eating contest... he had been deluded himself that it would be just like a date._

_Gai forced himself to smile, do his infamous pose, pointing to the stars outside. "No, my dear rival! You must go forth and defend the village. I would never expect anything less heroic from my eternal rival. We can finish our competition upon your return."_

"_Err, right..." Yamato said sarcastically._

"_Kakashi patted Gai on the back. "Thank you."_

_He walked out of the bar and out of Gai's life for the next month, far away on a mission, Yamato trailing behind him with an annoying grin on his face. Gai was once again reminded of just how much he hated Anbu._

It was mid-evening in the small village and Gai had been fed and showered. But after so much sleep he felt restless, even though he was still weak and queasy. The old man was already in bed, but Kairi was nowhere to be seen. Gai decided to go for a walk. He was in a strange mood.

He walked across the coast when he heard Kairi call his name. She was sat wrapped in a blanket in front of a fire on the beach. She beckoned him over.

"Why don't you join me?" She said. "Here, I have a hot flask of tea and some snacks."

"Thank you," Gai said, returning her smile and taking a seat. He could use a distraction anyway. It was hard passing the time here. He supposed tomorrow he would throw himself into training to prepare for his journey home.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said. "Not so wobbly anymore."

"Ah, so your strength is returning. You'll be in top shape in no time!"

"Of course! They don't call me the green beast for nothing, you know!" He struck a strong man pose, showing off his biceps. Kairi laughed.

The silence fell as Gai found his mind drifting back to home.

"So who is it?" Kairi asked, her brows raised, her gaze suddenly all-knowing.

"What?"

"Who is it you are thinking about? Ever since you woke you keep mentioning your village, your friends, and then fall into that silence. I don't know you very well, but you don't seem like the quiet type to me. Hell, when you escorted me back to the village, I could barely get a word in!"

Gai sighed and looked at the flames. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. To me it is anyway. I have a knack for these things."

"I see. You're good."

"Of course," she smiled with her eyes closed, bright and full of affection for her savour and patient. "So, are you gonna tell me then? We have all night and neither will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Gai laid back on the sand, looking up into the night sky, seeing his love's masked face.

"Where to begin..."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hello! I'm back! Sorry for the slow update with this fic, I have been working more on my other one recently. Back today I just couldn't resist writing this chapter. I hope you like it. It is a bit soppy with a bit of brief lemon- nothing too graphic at the moment. By the way, after hearing that the flashbacks can be confusing, I have decided to make all flashback scenes italic from now on. See, reviews and comments are always appreciated and I do listen hehe! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3 **

The fire crackled and the embers glowed an eerie orange in the moonlight. The gentle rush of the sea soothed him, if only for a moment. He supposed telling his story- their story- would lighten his burden of worries. Just thinking of it made his face smile and his heart ache simultaneously.

"Well, my lady," he began with his enthusiasm quickly growing. As if merely talking about his rival gave him strength or something. "Brace yourself for the most epic, romantic, heroic story of courage, friendship, love and YOUTH!"

Kairi just laughed an honest and warm laugh. Gai found he really liked her company.

"Go on Gai-san" she smiled.

Gai coughed and cleared his throat dramatically.

"It was a dark and most youthful night..." He paused realising something was wrong with that statement. "Erm well actually it was afternoon..."

_The wind howled. Strong so strong. Dark, angry clouds had gathered above what little sky they could see through the thick foliage of the forests outside Konoha. The rain started with little warning and then fell hard. They were forced to abandoned their challenge of a back flip race through the forest and took shelter under some of the thicker branches instead. _

_Gai was leaving for a mission the very next day and had roped Kakashi into the ridiculous challenge as they wouldn't be seeing each other for a while. If he put on his best doe eyed look he could often crumble Kakashi's bored resolve. And Gai had had plenty of practice over the years. _

_Not that he had ever managed to get Kakashi to do everything he really wanted deep down... There had been many nights over the years where he had dreamed of seducing the sexy silver ninja. _

_The problem was that: firstly Kakashi had an irrational fear of emotion, especially his own. He was likely to run at the first sign of an intimate situation. Gai knew Kakashi was still a virgin and found being close to someone else awkward. _

_The second problem came in the form of an annoying younger ex-Anbu. Yamato. It seemed that Gai wasn't the only one who had seen how worthy and youthful his rival was. Ever since Gai had laid eyes on the plain faced man, back when Kakashi introduced them at the training grounds as teens, he had hated him. _

_Both Gai and Yamato had been pursuing the elusive silver ninja for years, ever since their teens. Gai however had known he loved Kakashi much, much earlier. When they had been children together. Of course he hadn't known of what men did together sexually aside from kissing in the playground like with girls. One of Gai's first challenges had been kiss chase in the academy. His plan had fallen through though when Rin announced she was joining, along with a few others. Rin then insisted that boys had to kiss girls, much to Gai's displeasure. Obito had jumped into the fray then. Kakashi had yawned and pulled out a comic book (thankfully he hadn't read icha icha as a kid- that would have been creepy!) _

_That afternoon as they trained together in the forest Kakashi had been more relaxed and carefree than he had been in years. The end of the war had contributed greatly to this. _

_Gai had actually hoped to finally make his move on Kakashi the day it ended and finally tell him how he felt. But as luck would have it Yamato had managed to escape Kabuto's lair. It's not like Gai wanted Yamato captured. He wasn't evil! But he just wished he had had a few damn minutes with his eternal rival amidst the youthful celebrations. _

_Now as they hid under the shelter of a great oak, Gai thought that this surely was the best chance he would ever get. Kakashi was already wet from getting caught in the rain, his uniform and silver hair sticking to his skin. He brushed his hair from his eyes and leaned against the trunk, sighing. _

_He looked so beautiful, so vulnerable as he closed his eyes and leaned wearily back on the tree. It was so sexy. Gai took a risk. He pushed forwards and kissed his best friend of so many years. Maybe it was the exoticness of the scene; the rain, the forest, being away from the village, but Gai kissed him hard. He had always imagined a tentative, romantic kiss with his rival would be their first, but here he was gripping his face forcefully, pushing up to him, like a lustful animal. _

_Gai broke the kiss for a moment and sensed that like his, Kakashi's breathing was hard. That realisation set off a new urgency in Gai's movements. He kissed Kakashi again, this time pawing at the man's clothes. Kakashi made a sound like a whimper beneath him and Gai's semi went up with full force. _

_As much as his body protested, he tore himself away from Kakashi and those amazing lips. He wanted nothing more than to keep going, but Gai was a romantic and jumping straight into these things was not his style. One night stands were one thing but not with this man and he didn't want Kakashi to misinterpret the situation. He wanted to do this properly, and make Kakashi his for the rest of his life- no more sharing with Yamato for the man's affections. Kakashi would be his and only his. Gai had been through too many wars and put up with too much shit. _

_"Kakashi, I love you." _

_For a moment the man sandwiched between him and the tree trunk blinked stupidly and said nothing. So much for being a genius. _

_"I- I know, Gai. I've always known..." _

_Gai flinched like he'd been slapped. "What? Then why the hell didn't you say anything?" _

_Now it was Kakashi's turn to flinch. He rarely heard his goofy rival swear- even at enemies. He looked at the floor and mumbled his response meekly. The situation seemed surreal. _

_"I was scared." _

_Copy ninja Kakashi Hatake of the sharingan, feared amongst all, a hero of the allied forces, was scared of love. Scared to acknowledge the feelings of his best friend. Scared to let someone in the heart that had grown all too cold over the years. _

_Gai smiled and struck his best nice guy pose. _

_"Well, rival we will just have to work on that. Starting from right now." He winked at Kakashi. Kakashi gawped at him. _

_He caressed Kakashi's face and whispered those three precious words again, over and over in Kakashi's ear. He was moving in to kiss Kakashi again, tenderly this time, until he caught sight of something that made him freeze. _

_Silvery tears glistened in Kakashi's eyes. They pooled and dripped slowly down his cheeks. Then Kakashi choked, "I love you too, Gai". _

_It was Kakashi who initiated the next kiss, shyly at first, but then he pulled Gai towards him. Gai had not seen Kakashi cry since the day he had found Kakashi mourning his father. That day Minato had held him back. No one would stop him from holding his love now. _

_They made love right there under the oak, in the lush grass with the sound of gently pattering rain (it had already calmed down yet they made no move to leave their little sanctuary). Gai held Kakashi in his arms as if he were a precious doll. Kakashi was a virgin and there was some pain as he took his love, but the pleasure soon outweighed it. The sun began to set as they climaxed. It was beautiful. _

_Afterwards they lay on the ground, Kakashi with his head resting on Gai's chest. Everything was perfect. _

_"I love you, Kakashi," Gai whispered, kissing his head. "I love you, I love you, I love you". _

_Kakashi chuckled lovingly, "I love you too, Gai."_

_He had the glow of one who had experienced the beauty of lovemaking for the first time. He was smiling and warm. They were happy. Gai couldn't believe how fucking happy he could be. The man he had loved almost his whole life was finally his. Gai resolved to never let him go. _

_"Kakashi, please be mine. Forever." _

_"Forever," Kakashi agreed and wriggled up to kiss Gai. "I will be yours always, until death." _

"And that was the last time I saw him. The next morning I parted with my love for this mission... And then I met you and encountered the enemy... And you know the rest."

The moon had nearly left them now. The sun was starting to break through the night sky. Gai sat with his arms behind his head.

Kairi had been silently sobbing. "That was so... So beautiful! So romantic!" She sighed, looking up at the fading stars. "Ah I wish someone loved me like that. Your Kakashi is a lucky man."

"Oh, I am most definitely the lucky one," Gai smiled. "I have never been so happy... Well you know, before the coma..."

He thought about that for a moment, about what a year missing could mean for him and kakashi. Suddenly he jumped up and shouted. "I have to get back! Kakashi doesn't know where I am. He must be worried! I need to go!"

Kairi rose to and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Whoa, calm down Gai-san. It's been over a year, a few more days won't make a difference. You need to rest. Otherwise you will never make it back home. You need to eat properly and train in case you are attacked on the way back. We are not warriors here, we cannot provide an escort."

Gai was torn. He wanted nothing more than to run back to Konoha at full speed, but he was tired and weak and the last thing he wanted was to become a target. What if he didn't wake up next time... ?

"Ok, I will stay a couple more nights..."

"Good," she said, poking him in the ribs affectionately. "You know Gai-san that story was wonderful, but I really could have been spared the details on Kakashi-san's youthful body and the youthful love making..."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Wow this was a quick update! And the chapters seem to be getting longer each time. I just had to get the final scene down on paper though while the idea and dialogue were buzzing round my head. I am very excited about this fic at the moment and it looks like my other one _Ramen Soup for the Soul _ is coming to an end... But alas am leaving to go to Amsterdam tomorrow so I won't be updating most likely until I'm back on Friday. Although maybe I can get some writing done on the plane potentially... Anyway, please let me know what you think, if you like where this is heading at the moment.

**Chapter 4**

The next two days passed in vigorously youthful training. Gai pushed his body to its limits each day and then spent the nights recovering. From scouting the area and foraging for herbs he had managed to make a basic kind of food pill. It wasn't anything great or particularly effective but it gave him a bit of an energy boost all the same.

That last night Gai had dinner with Kairi and her father in their home. She had made his favourite meal: super spicy curry! It was delicious. Gai even made room for seconds while the other two watched fondly. They would miss their hyperactive saviour and patient. Gai's youthful energy and incessant talking filled their days. They would be sad to see their new friend go.

But alas Gai was a shinobi, and they knew he could never be happy in such a small village, with no missions. They only job here was protecting them from bandits, and they were so far out few ventured here at all. And besides Kairi knew Gai could never stay here knowing his Kakashi was so far away. She had never seen a man so in love. Sometimes she wished that love was directed at her. Kakashi was a lucky man and she hoped he appreciated Gai and treasured his love like he should. Like she would if Gai looked twice at her.

Finally it was the third day; the day Gai had set upon to leave his home for the past year. Kairi had packed Gai a lot of food for his return journey home. She surprised him by meeting him at the cliff for his morning stretches. The bento boxes were filled with the most delicious things: noodles, sushi, tempora, pickles and neganegi stuffed with crab meat.

"Oh thank you!" Gai beamed. "It all looks delicious it should be more than enough to keep me going."

"Somehow I doubt that with the amount of food you can out away," she laughed, smiling fondly at her enthusiastic friend. She really would miss the man.

Kairi had also made some clothes to fit Gai a little better than the ones her father had lent him. The enemy ninja he had been fighting had stripped Gai of his infamous green spandex along with his Konoha headband. It didn't matter though as Gai had a whole wardrobe full of them back in the Konoha. It just meant his entrance into the village wouldn't be as epic and youthful as the green beast's entrance should.

So, with a back pack full of delicious bento and boring, normal civilian clothes, Gai bid a fond farewell to the two that had taken care of him for so long. They had literally nursed him back from the dead and he would be forever grateful and in their debt. Gai hoped that one day he could do something for them to show them even mere fraction of his appreciation.

The journey was long and lonely but the thought of seeing everyone again kept him going at top speed the whole way. Every time he camped at under the stairs and looked up at the silver moon he thought of his rival, his lover.

He wondered how Kakashi had been. Had he been out looking for Gai? Maybe he had become a wondering nin, walking from place to place searching for his lost soul mate. OK Gai doubted very much that that was the case, but the thought made him happy all the same. After all Gai was incredibly sappy and romantic and he loved the idea of Kakashi longing for his lost love.

Then Gai thought of the reuniting sex they would have and wondered if it would be so passionate that maybe it was worth staying away all this time. Hmm maybe not. Although he had basically been asleep for a whole year he had still missed his boyfriend and rival to the point of pain. His heart ached to be with him again. And besides Kakashi was probably out of his mind with worry. Gai felt guilty that he had put him through so much emotional pain again. That was the last thing Kakashi had needed so soon after love had bloomed.

"_Rival," a fourteen year old green clad ninja said. He stood behind the younger silver haired ninja. "Rival."_

_Kakashi ignored him still, looking at the same names on the same stone. He did this every morning. Gai had been stalking his rival for over a week now and had discovered Kakashi's unhealthy obsession. _

"_Rival. Come on, turn around. Why are you here _again_?"_

"_To remember..."_

"_You don't have to be here to remember them. They will always be in your heart!" Gai struck a pose at the corny line, hoping to distract Kakashi away from the cold stone. Still his rival did not turn from it. "Come on, Kashi, they wouldn't want you to be here every day. And it's not like you'll forget them if you visit less."_

"_It's not them I'm remembering..."_

"_Then what? Spit it out!"_

"_It's my promises... and my failures."_

_Ergh so much damn angst! Gai had had enough! He grabbed Kakashi's small hand and pulled him away, all the way back to his house. Gai's father was already out training so Gai cooked Kakashi breakfast and gradually pulled him out of his brooding. _

_The morning ended with a head stand challenge in Gai's bedroom. Kakashi had never seen his room before. Gai had lost, feeling to dizzy to stay on the spot and fell. Though he had vaguely wondered at the time if his light headedness had been less about the blood rushing to his head in the challenge, and more about seeing Kakashi so close to his bed. _

It was mid day when he arrived and the gates of Konoha were already swung open for travelling merchants, as if in welcome. Gai proudly walked through the doors with the crowd. Izumo and Kotetsu were supposed to be keeping watch but were too busy arguing over a game of marbles.

Gai stopped at the split in the path. To the left would be Kakashi's apartment. To the right the Hokage's office. Gai was torn between his head and his heart. He wanted nothing more than to run into the arms of his love. But shinobi always reported straight to the Hokage after a mission; especially one that led to you being missing in action for more than a year.

Gai sighed in a way reminiscent of his rival. He headed right and hoped to get the report over quickly. Although he admitted to himself that once they got him talking his enthusiasm for storytelling might just take over...

"BUSHIER BROW- SENSEI!"

"Naruto!" Gai beamed at the welcome. "Or should I say Hokage-sama!?"

The blond was as loud and excited as ever regardless of the ominous Kage uniform. Upon seeing Gai in his doorway he had dropped stamp seal, watched him with a blank face for a few awkward moments, and then proceeded to bear hug the older man.

Gai also was a little shocked: Naruto had not been Hokage when he had left for his mission. He wondered how much else had changed in his absence.

"Ah this?" Naruto said, indicating his coat. "Ah, it's nothing. The important thing is that your here, that your alive."

"What? You thought I was dead?"

Naruto's eyes were sparkling with tears he was trying to hold back."Well yeah..."

At that moment Sakura kicked open the door. "Gai-sensei!" she squealed.

"Ah the lovely Sakura!" Gai greeted.

She also hugged him and then turned to Naruto. Sakura threw a pack of papers onto the hokage desk and took a breath. Evidently she was Naruto's Shizune.

"How did you survive?" she asked gently. "What happened?"

Gai put a hand on his chin in confusion. Why did everyone underestimate the graceful green beast of their village? "So you also thought me dead, Sakura-chan?"

"Well...yes. Everyone did."

The colour left Gai's face. Everyone? Even Kakashi...? No! His rival would never underestimate him. He would wait for the return of his love in longing passion! Gai took in the anxious faces of the young man and woman. "But why?" was all he could manage.

"The enemy nin...they said..." Naruto began.

Sakura sighed, knowing she would have to be the one to explain. "The enemy delivered to us your head band and the head bands of the others. As you were – are – one of top jounin and a well-known name, they also sent us your green spandex suit as a warning. They sneered and left a message that they had killed you and all your chunnin, and anyone that came after them would suffer the same fate."

Gai went white and Sakura pushed a chair under him just in time. He sunk into it, all at once showing his years of fighting, of suffering, of pain as a shinobi.

"And- and you believed them? Just like that?"

Naruto looked aghast. "No! We wanted to hope, wanted to believe you were out there, that maybe they had taken you prisoner. We sent a squad after you, an Anbu one led by Kakashi-sensei-"

"Kakashi joined Anbu again?"

"Well it was supposed to be a one-off. But he ended up going back to them properly. Sakura and I both advised against it, and wanted him to train new genin, but he refused..."

Gai was about to respond when Sakura butt in. "Anyway," she said giving Naruto a look that warned him not to venture off topic. "Kakashi-sensei hunted down the enemy nin and killed them all single-handedly, one by one. He even tortured one of them for information. They said they had killed you and thrown your body in the sea with the other chuunin. Kakashi searched the shore and they found one of the bodies..."

"But not mine?"

"Well Kakashi-sensei had fainted at that point. He had been so weak, so depressed before he left for the mission. When he woke back in Konoha Tsunade worried that he wouldn't recover without closure so she told him..."

At this Sakura looked around uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at Gai and Naruto. Even Naruto was looking intently at her now; evidently the story was heading in a direction even he was not aware of. Though he hadn't been Hokage at the time.

"What Sakura?" Naruto asked, voicing what Gai was too shocked to himself.

"Tsunade-sama feared Kakashi might not have the will to go on if we didn't have a definite answer to your whereabouts. We all thought you were dead except him. So she told Kakashi-sensei she had found your body, had seen it with her own eyes, and buried it while Kakashi-sensei was still unconscious."

Gai gasped, horrified. Naruto was looking at Sakura as if she were a stranger to him.

"She did it to protect him," Sakura feebly tried to explain. "She wanted to help him get over-"

"I have to see my rival!" Gai bellowed. He turned toward the window.

"No, Gai-sensei, wait! You don't understand! I need to tell you-"

But Gai had already jumped out the window and was dashing along the rooftops. Naruto watched Sakura in shock. Sakura was horrified.

"We have to stop him! He doesn't know!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Know what?"


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Whoop! I am on a roll today. Now I am back from my holiday I have managed to update both my fics in one day! Both chapters are a decent length too. Yosh! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think it was a bit obvious what was coming with this confrontation but I hope it is enjoyable to read all the same. Let me know what you think. The main question is where will it go from here...?

**Chapter 5**

He knew exactly where to find Kakashi without trying to sense his chakra. Gai had always known where to look for the elusive silver ninja. Sure enough, as Gai stopped at the gates of the graveyard, his love stood watching the memorial stone. But this time a new name had been added for him to mourn over.

After watching Kakashi for a few moments, his heart aching and his head pounding, he slowly approached. Kakashi didn't turn. He just stared at the names on the cold stone.

"Hello rival."

Gai had his attention now. Kakashi whipped around. He gasped and clutched his hand over his chest as if in pain. "No," he breathed. "You're-...You're-"

Gai smiled and held out his arms. He was about to say "No, I'm not dead" but Kakashi suddenly lunged forwards.

"You're a genjutsu!"

Kunai ready, he charged. Shuriken flew at him, and a lot of them. Gai yelped and ducked. He barely had time to jump away before Kakashi was in front of him, swiping with his kunai. "'Kashi, calm down. Stop! It's _me_."

"Who's there?!" Kakashi shouted to their surroundings. "You had better have an explanation ready for _sick_ joke."

Distracted as Kakashi was, Gai was able to kick him, his foot hitting him hard on the left cheek. Kakashi was knocked to the ground. He rubbed his face and stared at Gai perplexed.

"That felt..."

"Real?" Gai offered.

Kakashi stared at him, blinking back the tears. He nodded. Then he shook his head vigorously, as if trying to dispel a trick, a nightmare. "No," he whispered. Then he spoke louder and firmly. "No, this can't be real. Gai isn't here anymore. He left me, he's- he's dead. He has been for over a year!"

Kakashi stood now and shouted at Gai. He should have expected this. If Kakashi wouldn't let himself cry he would have to deal with the rage.

"I'm not dead Kakashi. I'm here. With you. I never left. Well, not really. You were always in my hea-"

"Oh cut the corny crap! Gai is dead and no illusion, no matter how damn cheesy, could ever replace him. He is _dead_. And I'm still here. Without him. And I have been for a while." He seemed to zone out and started muttering to himself. "He is gone. He had been gone for one year, four months, one week and one day...He won't ever come back. So don't you dare try to impersonate him!"

Kakashi charged again, an emotional wreck. He was sobbing as he ran and couldn't control his breathing. Gai was prepared this time and caught him easily. With a sharp knock to the his wrist, Kakashi dropped the kunai. Gai held him.

Kakashi struggled in his arms for a bit, trying to punch him, trying to get away. Gai worried he would never be able to convince Kakashi it was really him. But then the sounds of struggling were replaced by something else entirely. Sniffing. Inhaling. Kakashi was _smelling_ him.

Of course! Kakashi had a keen nose, how could he forget?! He breathed in Gai's musky, sweaty scent (Gai was a little embarrassed he hadn't taken the time to shower before rushing here- but then again Kakashi had got a whiff of him plenty of times after working out) and then Kakashi froze. Gai moved a hand under Kakashi's chin and tilted the man's face up towards his.

"Yes, 'Kashi, my love. It's really me."

Kakashi broke down. Completely broke down. Gai had never seen it before. Not to this extent. Kakashi's face was wet with tears; he choked on his own sobs. His hands tightened into fists, pulling on Gai's civilian shirt.

Kakashi could barely speak. But he tried. "It's- Is it-"

He cried some more.

"Re- Reanimation Jutsu?" he managed to get out.

Gai, also crying (though he was a lot better at handling his emotions than Kakashi) shook his head softly. "No. I never died Kakashi. Tsunade never found my body. She just wanted to spare you the pain. But she was wrong- I wasn't dead. I was lost to this world though; I was in a coma this whole time. I couldn't wake up."

Kakashi looked up at him, studying Gai through his tears. He still looked as if he thought this was a dream he would wake from.

"Although," Gai smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "I am sure one kiss from you would have woken me Prince 'Kashi."

Gai laughed. Kakashi managed to roll his eyes at the lame joke and pull on a vaguely bored expression. He wasn't fooling Gai though. He still loved him. Gai could feel it. Kakashi was broken without him. Something dark inside Gai was happy at the thought that his rival had been miserable without him; though he would never admit that. He couldn't believe Kakashi knew the exact day since he had "died".

Gai thought about their last time together. The last words they had spoken to each other:

_"Kakashi, please be mine. Forever." _

_"Forever," Kakashi agreed and wriggled up to kiss Gai. "I will be yours always, until death."_

He knew in his heart without a doubt that Kakashi had stayed loyal to his memory. It was one of the most youthful tales of passion, rivalry and love. And they would finally have their happy ending.

Gai was about to tell Kakashi so. The younger man had managed to calm down a bit in the midst of his revelation. He had gotten some sort of grip on himself. Gai should have expected such a strong reaction from Kakashi though- after all Kakashi's loved ones dying around him was a horrifyingly common thing. Minato-sensei being rived with the edo-tensei and then leaving again had brought on Kakashi's old brooding again. Gai had feared that Kakashi would go back to his teenage ways once again. No wonder he had feared Gai being alive was too good to be true. If Kakashi had joined ANBU again then that couldn't be a good sign...

"It's OK, Kakashi, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm back now. And I'm here to stay. By your side. Forever."

Kakashi gulped back his tears. He opened his mouth to say something but Gai put a finger on his lips. Whatever he was worrying about could wait. Gai leaned forwards to kiss his long time and only love.

"Gai-san! So it's true!"

Gai froze. He knew that voice. Why the fuck did _he_ have to appear now, of all times.

Gai moved away from Kakashi but all he wanted to do was hold the man tighter and take him away from the newcomer. Gai had been gone a long time, but this situation was all too familiar. He sighed. "Yamato," he put on his best nice guy smile.

"Wow, I can't believe it. I thought Sakura-chan was crazy when I caught her running round the village looking for you. But I see that she is correct: you're alive."

Sure enough, Sakura came up behind Yamato, clearly out of breath.

Gai wanted nothing more than to say "wow thanks, captain obvious. Wood really can be dense ,eh?" He had to hold back a chuckle at his own lame joke. Instead he put on a sincere expression.

"Yes, I survived. I was in a coma in a small village this whole time. But I am here now. Things can go back to the way they were." Gai looked pointedly at Kakashi as he said this. He was about to walk put his arm around the man, when he saw Kakashi squirm slightly. He knew when the silver ninja was more than a little uncomfortable. But what about Gai's comment had inspired this reaction, he wondered?

Yamato took a step forward smirking. There was something predatory in the man's eyes. As much as he and Gai disliked each other, he was certain that Yamato had never wished anything bad on Gai, nothing like this. But Yamato's stance was defensive and his eyes had a glint in Gai couldn't read. He moved protectively towards Kakashi.

Gai stiffened as Yamato's arm came to rest around Kakashi's shoulder. What the hell was going on?

"Kakashi and I are both so glad to have you back," Yamato said sweetly. He wasn't hostile towards Gai, but there was a warning there: keep your distance. "If there's anything we can do while you're settling back in..."

"We...?"

Yamato looked uncomfortable but determined. Kakashi couldn't even meet his eyes.

"Gai-sensei," Sakura spoke. "While you were away..." She was trying to be gentle but the sheer horror of what she was trying to say had already taken hold of Gai. His mouth gaped open, his face drained of colour. He couldn't move. He couldn't take his eyes off Kakashi. It couldn't be true...

"Kakashi and I are together now," Yamato finished for her.

Gai's world fell apart all over again.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Couldn't resist doing another chapter for this fic. I hope you're not finding it too angsty or Gai too serious- but I've always liked the idea that behind the youthfulness there is a darker side to Gai and his enthusiasm and comic relief can be his mask…

**Chapter 6**

"What...?"

Gai couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. And the worst thing of all was that he was showing his weakness to Yamato of all people. The man who had ruined everything. Gai may as well have died back with the chunin; he didn't know how he would ever get over this.

"Gai..." Yamato spoke gently. Gai looked him. He had a filthy, pitying look on his face. Gai wanted to punch him. He couldn't believe how upside down this new Konoha was: Naruto was hokage, Gai was thought dead, Yamato and Kakashi were an item and apparently Yamato now felt sorry for him. Things couldn't get any worse

How could Kakashi do this to him? He had promised he would be with Gai. Forever. Did that not mean anything to Kakashi. He had thought that promises to his friends had meant more than that. But Kakashi had broken his promises to everyone else, to Obito, so why not Gai too.

Though admittedly the exact words had been "until death…" But so what? Did Gai really mean that little to Kakashi that as soon as he snuffed it, he had shacked up with another man- Yamato of all people?

But as angry as he wanted to be with Kakashi he couldn't help wanting to reach out to him, to pull him away from Yamato and shake the man, to make Kakashi see reason. They should be together, it was almost destined. Gai's whole life had been building up to their springtime of love.

Gai simply stared at them. Kakashi wasn't making eye contact with him still. The man was pale- even whiter than usual- and shaking. He was leaning on Yamato for support, as if he would fall otherwise. It annoyed Gai. Why had everyone believed him dead so easily. Why had Kakashi?

Gai could kill Tsunade. If she hadn't told Kakashi she had found his body maybe Kakashi wouldn't have given up on him...

"Gai-Sensei..." Sakura said, interrupting his thoughts and the awkward silence. When Gai didn't answer she and Yamato exchanged a worried look. Yamato nodded to her and tightened his grip on Kakashi.

"OK, I think it would be best for us to leave now. Gai, Sakura will take care of you and make arrangements for somewhere you can stay. Lee would probably be best."

"What?" Gai snapped out of his silence at this new horrible development. "What about my apartment?"

They exchanged that look again.

"Erm," Sakura began. "Well shinobi who have been declared killed in action..."

Yamato watched Sakura and sighed. He looked even more uncomfortable. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Gai, but your flat was cleared and given to another shinobi. But staying at Lee's place would be better. And Sakura will be there a lot of the time to keep an eye on you!" He paused in the mock-cheery statement. "You'll need your friends around you while you adjust back to life here…"

Gai turned his miserable gaze to Sakura, curious despite circumstances. She blushed and explained, "I'm dating Lee-kun now."

Gai nodded at her approvingly. At least one change had been positive. He wished he could smile and pull her into a hug like he would usually and strike a youthful, heartfelt pose. But for the first time, he couldn't. He couldn't put on a brave face and pretend to be happy. He couldn't play for the fool. He had lost everything, even his home.

Yamato pushed Kakashi towards the village. Kakashi finally looked up at Gai. There was so much emotion in those eyes from the normally expressionless copy nin that Gai didn't know how to read him. Maybe he didn't even know Kakashi anymore. Kakashi almost whispered his parting words. "I'm glad you're back..." and as his eyes filled with tears again he mouthed "I'm sorry."

And then he was gone. Just like that, his love had walked away from him. Again. Gai watched Yamato, but other than a slight flicker in his eyes the young man gave away nothing. Yamato also headed towards the village. He placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder before he left. Then he paused and turned to Gai.

"Goodbye Gai-san," he said politely but formally. Then he heaved a sigh. "Look I know I'm the last person you want to hear this from but I am happy you're alive. You were missed. Yes," he said he said as Gai huffed sarcastically (something he had learnt to do from none other than Kakashi), "even by me." With a puff of smoke Yamato also disappeared.

_Yeah right_, Gai thought. _I bet he couldn't wait to jump in my grave_.

Sakura, who somehow had read his thoughts, raised her eyebrows. "No Sensei," she said firmly. "He really did mean it. Yamato isn't a bad person. You are not normally so negative. You need to snap out of it. What happened to your-" she cringed a bit as she said it-"youthfulness?"

"Maybe I changed. Just like everyone else seems to around here."

Sakura sighed. "Alright, I know how you feel about Kakashi. I tried to stop you from running off back at the hokage tower. But as usual you charged right ahead without getting all the facts."

Gai flinched. That had always been Kakashi's criticism of him. They had always been the complete opposite when approaching a fight. Kakashi sneaky and strategic; Gai jumping right in the fray for an honest fight. Kakashi was calm and cool while Gai was hot-headed. Ying and Yang.

"So how do you know?" Gai asked, expecting the answer to be her sensei. After all, Gai had always confided in Lee, so it was only natural for Kakashi to do the same with one of his beloved students. Though he had a hard time imagining Kakashi confiding in anyone. But maybe this was a good thing. If he spoke to Sakura of his true feelings, Gai could get it out of her.

"Well if you must know, from Yamato," she replied.

Gai gaped at her. And here he didn't think there would be any more surprises in store for him. Guess he had better brace himself. It seemed anything could have happened in this weird new Konoha.

Sakura laughed. "Just because you don't like him, doesn't mean Yamato doesn't have friends."

Gai opened his mouth to deny it (just like he had done to Kakashi for so many years) but Sakura held up a hand to stop him. "Oh come on, who are you kidding? It's written all over your face. Always has been. But haven't you considered that if you two hadn't been squabbling over Kakashi-sensei this whole time- as horrifying as that thought is- that you two could be friends?"

Gai felt a bit of his old self returning at her words. "Ha! One as youthful as me cannot be friends with one so wooden as he." Gai puffed out his chest, proud of his comeback. Sakura merely rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Geez I knew you were difficult but..." she shook her head. "OK so you two can't be friends. But you have to get along with him now, if only for Kakashi-sensei's sake."

Gai frowned again, reverting back to his previous shock. He couldn't stomach the thought of Kakashi and Yamato. And that latest reminder felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"Gai-sensei I know something happened between you and Kakashi-sensei, but regardless he is with Yamato now."

"Only because I wasn't here. Because of you and Tsunade-sama!"

She gasped. The accusation stung. "That may not be true, anything could have happened." Gai opened his mouth to inform her otherwise, of their eternal, youthful love but she pressed on quickly. "Even so, what happened has happened, we cannot change that. But they are together now, and you cannot hold it against either one of them.

"Kakashi loved you very deeply. I didn't want to have to tell you something so private but I need to make you understand..."

Gai kept his mouth shut for once. He was intrigued. This pink haired girl seemed to hold the pieces of the puzzle. "Go on."

She took a breath and plunged ahead. "When Tsunade-sama and I told him we had found you- erm your body that is- we had hoped he would get better. But he didn't. It was even worse than when Minato-sama had died, she said. We all tried to comfort him, to help him, but he wasn't responding. It was like he had also died.

"Then one night Yamato felt uneasy, that something wasn't right. So he went to check on Kakashi. He got there just in time. Kakashi-sensei had-" she broke off, tears in her eyes. "He had tried to kill himself."

Gai was aghast. Had his rival really been that distraught? Gai was shocked to hear that he really could have lost Kakashi more than just as a lover. But a dark part of him inside was secretly a little glad Kakashi had loved him so much that he felt he couldn't live without him. Gai tried to shake the morbid thoughts from his mind, tried to be the happy goof everyone thought he was.

"So Yamato saved him?" Gai said. He could see where this was going. Yamato was the knight in shiny fucking armor.

"Kakashi-sensei had slit his wrists and was losing blood, but he was still conscious. Yamato carried him to Tsunade-sama's house and woke her. He found him just in time and they saved him."

Gai was of course grateful his love had survived but he hated knowing he owed that to Yamato. He looked at Sakura expectantly; there had to be more to the story.

"So to keep an eye on Kakashi while he was so depressed, Captain Yamato moved him into his own apartment, to look after him. It took a while but he gradually nursed him better. Yamato-san cares very deeply for my sensei. I know you don't want to hear it, but it is true. And if it wasn't for him, sensei would be..."

The unsaid word hung between them, ominous.

"Let me guess, love bloomed between patient and nurse?" Gai said, sounding almost as sarcastic as Kakashi.

Sakura looked at him intently. "No. Not for a long time. In fact, only recently. After the anniversary of your 'death'. Kakashi grieved a lot. But then he finally seemed to accept that it was... Well it was not healthy, and he finally started to move on. A few months ago he and Yamato started going on dates. Kakashi decided he didn't want to move out after all and they became a proper couple-"

"A few months?" Gai said, his youthful enthusiasm returning. "But that's not long at all!"

"No," Sakura glared at him, her voice angry for the first time. "Don't even think about it. They have been together longer than you were with him. And they are settled together, happy. Please don't try to sabotage that. You aren't teenagers anymore, this isn't a game."

"It never was!" Gai shouted. He could never have imagined arguing with Kakashi's adorable student, but she didn't understand anything, especially his and Kakashi's love. "I have only ever loved him. And he loved me!"

"Yes, loved!" she spat. "And what if he doesn't anymore. What if he loves Yamato? Can your youthful ego handle that?"

Gai couldn't believe what he was hearing. No one had ever called him arrogant (well maybe on the battlefield) in his life. He wasn't egotistical, she just didn't understand what he and Kakashi had. No one did. Except from he and Kakashi.

"I don't care what you say, Sakura-chan. Your words will not deter my youthful and determined heart."

Sakura was exasperated. She looked like she would bang her head against the nearest tomb stone.

"OK Gai-sensei, I've told you all I can. I'm friends with Yamato but I care about you both as well as my sensei. I won't interfere in your ah, affairs." She shuddered at the mental images, sure they would scar her. "Now let's go find Lee. He must be going out of his mind if he has heard the rumors."

Gai allowed himself a genuine, warm smile. At least Lee was still his precious student and friend. Some things hadn't changed.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: ** Hey everyone. Hope you like this chapter. Again it contains some flashbacks- particularly interested to hear what you think of the flashbacks. I am enjoying writing them and weaving them into the story. They are all in italic. Oh and just to warn you a slight bit of lemonness- though not from Kakashi and Gai!

**Chapter 7**

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"oh... Gai-sensei!"

"Oh, Lee!"

Tears were pouring from their eyes. Sakura swore she saw waves crash against rocks under a sun set. It something she hadn't seen in years. Well she should have expected one of these half familiar scenes. This was Gai and Lee being reunited after all.

And Sakura couldn't help but smile.

_Asuma's twentieth birthday party was what Gai had expected- out of control. Their burly friend had developed an early weakness for drinking, smoking and girls. And this party was full of all three._

_Gai pushed his way through the crowds, desperately searching for a silver head amongst all the other ninja. As he searched he accidently caught the eye of Anko and hastily turned in the other direction; the kunoichi had a snake draped around her shoulders and a mischievous glint in her eyes. Best to avoid her tonight at any rate. Gai and Kakashi had to be two of the few she hadn't dragged into bed and Gai would rather keep it that way. Especially after hearing Asuma swear she uses the snakes in bed._

_Gai continued his search with enthusiasm. Kakashi had promised he'd be here. And Kakashi never broke his promises. _

_By the table of drinks Gai noticed a very strong smelling punch. He downed a cup in one go to calm himself. He had been looking for the last fifteen minutes and there still wasn't a sign of Kakashi. He then grabbed a beer and pushed back through into the crowds._

_And there it was: a glimpse of silver! Gai ran forward and collided straight into someone else, spilling his drink over their shirt._

"_Sorry! Really sorry! I, Maito G-"_

_The person in question turned and said, "Oh. It's you."_

"_Yamato!" Gai glared wishing he could take back his apology. But damn it Gai just didn't have it in him to exude bad manners, especially to a teen of only sixteen. He didn't like Yamato but he still had to set a good example._

"_Ha, apology accepted Gai," the teen smirked. "Anyway, have you seen Senpai?"_

"_No!" Gai said a little too quickly. _

_Yamato's eyes narrowed. "That's funny; he said he'd be here."_

"_Oh really? I think he said he changed his mind. He, err, wasn't feeling well... dodgy ramen or something..."_

_Yamato watched him for a full minute before responding. "Right. Then why aren't you with him? You usually jump at the chance to nurse your 'eternal rival'." _

_Gai scratched the back of his head nervously and fake-laughed. "Ah well, wouldn't want to catch it!"_

_Yamato watched him some more. "Well since I am here, I might as well stay. After all it's not often I get to spend time with so many jonin."_

_Gai gritted his teeth. "Fine."_

"_Fine." _

_They both turned and stalked off to opposite sides of Asuma's apartment._

"Of course you will stay here, Gai-sensei!"

Despite everything, Lee was thrilled with the way things had turned out. He was undeniably happy that his sensei and best friend had returned and would be staying with him; after all they had A LOT of catching up to do. And a lot of training.

Gai started crying all over again. At least someone in Konoha was nothing but happy to see him. He really hadn't expected such a mix of emotions upon his return. Gai's greatest fear that those he cared about felt... regret that he had returned. Gai tried to shake the dark thought from his mind. It meant a lot to know he could always count on Lee.

"So, where will I be staying?"

"I have a spare room, Sensei. You are most welcome to use it and change it as you see fit. I could not think of a greater honour than you staying here!" Lee bowed and cried again.

Sakura felt a vein throbbing. These two clowns were giving her a headache and it had only been five minutes. "Alright, alright, enough you two. Gai-sensei, we had better get you some new things if you are to be comfortable here. I will speak to Naruto for some money. After all you were never able to collect the fee from your last mission."

"Being paid by Naruto... wow that will take some getting useful! I always knew Kakashi's foxy student had it in him!" Gai smiled and his teeth pinged.

"Erm, right." Sakura said. "So I will get going. I am sure you two have a lot of catching up to do. I will be back soon and we can head to the shops."

The pink haired girl headed towards the door.

"Sakura-chan," Gai called.

She turned back. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

_It was late and Asuma's party was in full drunken swing. Gai found Kakashi too late. The poor nineteen-year-old had Anko draped across his shoulders and a snaked twisting on his lap. Even with the mask Gai could see his expression was uneasy. Gai strode over to the corner and folded his arms._

"_Anko! Let my rival go!"_

_Her eyes flashed at him dangerously and Gai couldn't help wincing and taking a step back. Shit why was he so afraid of a girl. Maybe because he valued his manly bit- he had an irrational fear that the snake would target them, if the rumours were true..._

"_But, but.." Gai was about to plead for his rival._

"_Gai and I have a drinking competition!" Kakashi suddenly interjected, wild look in the eye Gai could see. One of Anko's hands was sliding further up his leg. Gai was too afraid of the crazy kunoichi even to even feel jealous. _

_What Kakashi had said seemed to grab her attention though. Her hand stopped and she pulled her face away, smiling. An evil smile._

"_Oh but that is such a tame challenge," she purred. "How about something more interesting?"_

_Gai thought about it. "Will you release Kakashi?"_

"_Hmm... sort of."_

"_What do you propose?" Kakashi asked_

"_Something we all take part in," she said, smirking. "Spin the bottle."_

_Kakashi sighed. "Seriously?"_

"_Mm it could be fun." She licked the side of Kakashi's face. The snake hissed. Gai and Kakashi both shuddered. "Or I can keep you here all to myself..."_

"_We'll do it!" Gai and Kakashi both yelped at the same time._

Gai and Lee were having a push up race. Gai had almost reached a thousand when Naruto burst in.

"Bushier Brow-sensei!"

"Naruto-kun- I mean sama!" Gai replied hastily, still going his push ups.

"Ah, don't worry you can just keep calling me Naruto, believe it!"

Gai reached one-thousand and jumped up. "I will then."

Rock Lee finished only a second after him. "You win, sensei."

Gai struck a pose. "As expected. A coma cannot keep the legendary Green Beast down!"

"You were probably training in your sleep," Sakura chuckled.

"I am glad you're back Bushier-Brow-sensei," Naruto beamed. "Here is the money we owe you and a bonus for living expenses. Sakura filled me in on what everything." He shuddered here, and repressed the urge to gag at some of the finer details.

Gai took the money and a parcel from Naruto. "Thank you. And what's this?"

Gai unwrapped a three new green spandex suits, identical to the ones he had owned previously. Gai burst into tears again and threw himself on the new Hokage.

With this gift, Gai truly felt like he was back.

_Many intoxicated party-goers joined the circle in the corner of the room, including himself, Kakashi, Anko, the snake, Yamato (which had earned the teen a glare from Gai), Asuma, Hayate, Genma and Kurenai._

_Anko looked malevolent as she spun it to start. It landed on Hayate. She crawled forwards and laughed evilly as the snake coiled around her middle. Hayate coughed nervously. He then yelped when Anko bit his lip a little too hard._

_Eventually it was Gai's turn to spin after Kurenai had pecked him on the lips. Gai was hesitant as he leaned towards the bottle but then span it with force. He had to physically stop himself from praying out loud, "Kakashi, Kakashi, Kakashi."_

_For one hopeful moment, it looked as if it was land on his love. Gai would finally dare to do what he had always been afraid to do, under the pretext of an innocent party game..._

_But the gods must have been taunting him. Instead of landing on his eternal rival, the bottle came to a clear stop in front of the person he least wanted to kiss- other than Anko that is._

"_Oooh Gai and Yamato!" Anko squealed. "Mmm well go ahead then boys." She was smirking at their discomfort in their expressions._

_Gai narrowed his large eyebrows and then leaned forwards. He wished so many people weren't watching. He wished Kakashi wasn't watching. It made him feel like he had to prove something- who was the best kisser._

_Maybe that would settle this unofficial love triangle once and for all. _

_Unfortunately Yamato seemed to have the same idea. The younger man shot what Gai called only call a seductive look at Kakashi- his Kakashi dammit! - and crawled towards Gai. _

_The two young men threw their arms around each other and locked lips with their mouths parted. Their tongues fought a battle dominance, each trying to push their way into the other's mouth, neither wanting to be the 'uke'. Gai would be the best damn seme he could be. He would show Kakashi just what he was missing- Gai! He knew he was much more manlier than Yamato. His kiss became angry and forceful as he thought about how smug Yamato was that he was on ANBU and Gai wasn't. _

_Yamato responded with similar force and both were pulling at each other's shirts. They kept going for minutes, neither giving in and breaking the kiss first. The girls were screaming. The boys looked at them in awe. Kakashi was silent but wide eyed. _

_Still they kept going, each still trying to take the lead. Eventually they both looked at each other's eyes and silently communicated a truce. They tore themselves apart from one another, gasping for breath. Despite himself Gai was shocked to realise he had felt a stirring down... there. No no no! That couldn't happen with the enemy, his rival in love! No!_

_Gai looked at Yamato and saw that he was in a similar state of discomfort. Ha. _

_Gai took in the seen and saw the girls looking flustered, Anko even had a nosebleed. Her snaked licked the blood leaking down her face. Eww._

_Gai and Yamato both sought Kakashi with their eyes for his reaction. It was hard to tell with the mask but Gai definitely thought he saw a blush on the pale skin. "Wow, you two," he said amused, the Icha Icha side of him coming out, "that was...something."_

_Seeing their friend clearly aroused made both Yamato and Gai blush themselves with pleasure. Maybe it had been worth it after all._


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Well I finally updated this one! I haven't been feeling this for a while now, I think maybe I bit off more than I can chew with this story so to speak… but I some recent comments, one sent to me through a different site, saying I had to update haha! So I did! I do have a plot and know how it will end so I will try and continue with this. Sometimes I just need a good prod to get on with it!

**Chapter 8**

"Taaaa daaaaaa! Maito Gai, the graceful green beast, is back!"

Gai burst out of his new room in the green jump suit Naruto had given him. The young Hokage, Sakura and his beloved student Rock Lee were sat on the sofa. They applauded and cheered when Gai paraded around in his customary green spandex. It was good to see him more like himself again. Somehow the civilian clothes just didn't suit him.

Rock Lee's apartment was small but bright. It had an odd mix of things such as the plain brown leather sofa and arm chair that had been covered in crazy bright patch work quilts. Kung fu posters were tacked to the walls alongside traditional Japanese calligraphy scrolls. Of course, having the same discipline as his sensei, everything was neat and in order. Actually it was spotless.

"Alright, Bushier-brow-sensei!" Naruto jumped off the sofa in between Sakura and Lee and air punched. "Let's go strut your stuff in town! Ramen is on me!"

Gai and Lee beamed but Sakura punched Naruto. "Why the hell do YOU get to pick?! We are celebrating Gai-sensei's return! Not yours!"

"Owww Sakura-chan," Naruto whined.

The girl continued growling. Lee said nothing and had an expression which told Gai that he had clearly become used to this sort of thing. Kakashi's students always were rather feisty…

"Sakura-chan," Gai intervened. "It warms my soul that you value my needs so. But I do in fact feel like eating some ramen today." Sakura looked at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Honestly!" Well no, not honestly. He actually wanted to go to his favorite family restaurant that did super spicy curry, but chilli ramen would do just fine, and save the Hokage from a painful death in the process.

"See Sakura! Everyone loves ramen!" Naruto yelled triumphantly.

_The game fizzled out once Asuma had kissed Kurenai. He'd had his eye on her for a while but hadn't done anything about it, not wanting to potentially ruin a friendship. Kurenai had been their friend since their academy days and she wasn't the sort of girl you'd mess around with. She had grown into a beautiful and intelligent woman: and there was the fact that if you upset her you risked a kick on the balls from Anko. Gai had seen it happen when Raido had upset Anko's friend._

_It was already 1am and things were still going strong. The music was loud, the apartment hot from all the shinobi crammed in. Gai hadn't realised Asuma knew so many people, many of them giggling girls. Kakashi was sat with him, Asuma and Kurenai whilst drinking beer. They all sat round a small Japanese table on their knees. Asuma sat next to Kurenai and glanced at her a little too often to be considered casual. Gai smiled; he was always this obvious when he'd been drinking._

_Gai on the other side was sat with Kakashi. He must have had a bit too much to drink himself because he noticed Kakashi was slyly edging away from him, trying to put some distance between them as they sat side by side; he hadn't realised he was leaning so close to the other man; their legs had been touching. Gai also didn't fully take in Kakashi's evident discomfort._

_"Well I think I'm all out of beer here, I'll just go-"_

_"No, eternal rival! Do not trouble yourself; I shall go get us some more beverages!" Gai struck a pose but swayed slightly as he did. He was too drunk to summon any sort of dramatic effect. Never the less Gai was determined to be suave and cool, the perfect gentleman, and sweep his rival off his feet. _

_Kakashi sighed. "OK Gai, you go do that."_

_Gai jumped up to attention and bolted for the drinks table in his enthusiasm, almost tripping a couple of times. He decided on another round of the strong tasted punch. The more he drank the less awful it tasted somehow and it wouldn't hurt for the stronger drink to loosen up a little. He was always so serious – and as much as he hated to say it, angsty- after Minato-sensei had died and being in ANBU wasn't helping matters._

_When he arrived back, with a tray balancing five cups of the punch, he found Kakashi missing from the little group. Before Gai could even ask where he was, Kurenai spoke._

_"He's gone home. He has a mission tomorrow- or should I say tonight?"_

_Gai couldn't stop himself from pouting. Was he being that obvious? This wasn't how the night was supposed to end! He put the drinks down and turned._

_"Gai, wait! He doesn't want-"_

_Too late. With an over enthusiastic drunken bow (which ended with him nearly toppling over) Gai waved his goodbyes and leapt off after Kakashi._

_"...you to follow..." Kurenai sighed. Asuma laughed._

_"You know, you never would have stopped him. Once that man sets his mind on something not even the kami could stop him. He won't quit until- well, you know heh heh."_

_Kurenai frowned at him playfully. "Alright you, that's enough of that. The spandex is revealing enough without those sort if mental images."_

_Asuma leaned forwards. "Well, I suppose I could give you something else to think about..."_

_Ignoring the rest of the party around them, Kurenai closed the rest of the distance and locked lips with Asuma. It was his best birthday party to date._

"BBQ pork miso ramen please! And keep em' coming!"

"Chicken miso please."

"Sea food for us two."

As everyone ordered their ramen, Gai was gazing towards the district he knew so well. Kakashi's old district, before he moved in with Yamato that is. Gai had no idea where they lived now, whether it was in Yamato's old place or somewhere else entirely.

Gai thought of all the times he had waited outside Kakashi's door when he refused to take care of himself or let Gai in. The times he had heard Kakashi's nightmares as he kneeled on the balcony of his bedroom. All those dark days he had helped Kakashi through after the consecutive deaths of his team. Gai wondered, had Kakashi been like that when he had been pronounced dead? Had Yamato waited outside his apartment, as he had once done?

"Hello! Earth to Bushy-brows!" Naruto punch his shoulder lightly.

"Wha'?"

"Gai-sensei," Sakura said with concern. "Teuchi is waiting for your order..."

Rock Lee was watching his sensei anxiously. He rarely saw Gai out of sorts. He especially wouldn't want to see Gai so down when he had only just returned from the dead. To put his mind at rest Gai struck a nice guy pose.

He folded his arms over his chest and epically ordered. "Give me the spiciest and most manly ramen you've got! I will show you just how hot I can take it!" He smiled a big toothy smile and gave Rock Lee the thumbs up. Lee returned the gesture and looked somewhat relieved.

"Actually, may I change my order to the same as Gai-sensei's? I can also handle the heat!"

"Oh, brother," Sakura face palmed. "You know not everything has to be a competition?"

They were saved answering by Naruto's fist hitting the counter. "Me too, me too, old man! I want the spicy ramen too, don't leave me out!"


End file.
